OROVILLE >> The Oroville City Council on Tuesday showed support for possible island annexations and setting fees for emergency medical calls, and also named the recipient of the 2014 Samuel J. Norris Award for Excellence.

The council didn't take action, but directed Community Development Director Don Rust to work with the Local Agency Formation Commission and come back with a number of applications for each potential island annexation.

Rust told the council that staff has identified 12 possible locations that could be annexed as islands, not 13 as reported previously.

The state law allows island properties to be annexed without a protest hearing. The law was supposed to sunset last December, but a new law effective Jan. 1 made the streamlined process permanent.

Rust said he wants to work directly with LAFCO to determine if any of the 12 properties identified would be feasible. The 12 properties include one that didn't get annexed last year.

Last year, the city completed six island annexations.

Mayor Linda Dahlmeier voiced support for moving forward, noting that the process last year saved everyone time and energy.

"This is what we need to do along the city edges so we can do larger annexations," she said. "Our city limits have been kept artificially small for one thing...I'm for this. It's the right thing."

Councilor David Pittman said the process is basically a good deal, especially for people being annexed. He also said there are areas even the county feels should be within the city.

"There's a lot of work to be done here...," Pittman said. "It's a good deal for everybody concerned."

Earlier in the meeting, Public Safety Director Bill LaGrone pitched an idea to try to recover some of the costs Oroville Fire Department incurs through responses to medical aid calls.

Of more than 3,300 emergency calls the department responded to last year, 2,458 of those were for medical aid. On average, those calls cost the city more than $600 every time the fire trucks roll out, he said.

LaGrone said the department isn't recovering any money at this time, and it's taking money from other departments that also need funds.

He asked for direction on a couple of options, including authorizing a study on cost recovery. One option he named would be to stop responding to medical aid calls.

"I do not recommend that," LaGrone said.

One possibility he wants to explore is to establish a way to bill insurance companies when the fire department responds to medical calls. LaGrone would also like input from the community.

Pittman noted a fire department in Sacramento is currently charging fees for medical aid responses. He said he'd support finding a way to charge fees, and assumed the fee would be borne by insurance "coverers" to the individuals.

Councilor Cheri Bunker was also supportive.

"While I'm not a fan of fees, I do, however, think this is necessary," she said. "The money we're spending on this is outrageous...I think this is a good idea."

"We're giving them a service," Simpson said. "When they pay their property taxes, this is what they expect."

The council directed LaGrone to bring back more information with a variety of options to consider.

The last item of business was selection of the Sam Norris award recipient. More than 30 individuals and groups were nominated.

City Administrator Randy Murphy reminded the council that the item on Tuesday's agenda was a continuation from the previous meeting.

Dahlmeier said it could take awhile, but it only took a few minutes for the councilors to write down their votes.

Pittman thanked everyone who made recommendations, adding "there are a lot of people who are deserving."

As the City Clerk counted the votes, Dahlmeier continued the meeting with council and administrators' reports. She waited the last minute to announce Wendell P. Hammon as the recipient.

According to documents accompanying his nomination, Hammon got his start as an industrialist in Oroville, developed agriculture in the area, including olives and oranges, and also developed the west end of Oroville and the area around Oroville High School. He died in 1938 at the age of 84.

The award will be presented to Hammon's descendant, John Hammond, at the Oroville Economic Development Corp.'s annual banquet March 27 at the Southside Community Center.